The present invention relates to a funnel having an on/off valve or switch. The funnel is of the type having a large upper liquid holding reservoir portion at a funnel inlet and a tapered outlet or discharge tube extending from a base of the reservoir portion and tapering to a funnel outlet.
Many prior approaches to providing funnels with shut off elements have been proposed. However, all known prior approaches are somewhat complex and expensive to manufacture, given that they require the valve or occluding element to have substantial weight or spring pressure to assure a complete seal against a hard-to-manufacture distinct valve seat formed in the inner walls of the funnel device.
One such known funnel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,094,098 and features a valve 22 which is raised by wires 23 and 26. A hook portion 28 of wire 26 is brought into engagement with the wall of a container opening to open the valve allowing fluid held in the funnel to pass through the outlet end of a funnel spout into the container. The valve or occluding element 22 of the '098 patent is mounted in the reservoir portion and its sloping sidewalls must match substantially exactly with the tapered walls of the funnel's reservoir in order to provide an adequate liquid-tight seal. A further disadvantage of approaches such as disclosed in the '098 patent is that the liquid in the entire outlet spout of the funnel will drain therefrom even after the occluding valve closes, thereby maximizing spillage of excess fluid when one desires to cease the exit of fluid from the funnel outlet.
Therefore, there is seen to be a need for a simplified occluding element which does not require a separately constructed valve seat to preclude outflow of fluid from the funnel's outlet end while minimizing escape of excess fluid from the funnel spout once the valve or occluding element has been positioned to halt liquid flow from the funnel.